Florida Medical Marijuana Heads To A Vote, Carl Hiaasen Has Field Day

By
David Downs, San Francisco Chronicle
on February 3, 2014

Floridians will have a chance to vote on legalizing medical marijuana, the state’s Supreme Court ruled Jan. 27., setting up a major battle in the populous southern state, and some searing commentary from legendary author Carl Hiaasen.

A Quinnipiac University Polling Institute survey in late 2013 showed 82 percent of the public supported medical marijuana, which is great because unlike California, Colorado, or Washington, a constitutional amendment in Florida requires 60 percent voter approval for adoption. Naturally, elected Florida leaders are deeply opposed, including Florida’s entire Republican Party all the way up to Gov. Rick Scott.

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi and the state’s Republican leadership even sued to block a vote on medical marijuana, but the Florida Supreme Court narrowly ruled 4-3 to allow the vote to go forward. Reutersreports Charlie Crist, a former Republican governor of Florida who is running for Governor as a Democrat versus Scott in November celebrated the Supreme Court decision, saying “I’m going to vote for it and I think it’s the right thing to do.”